The underground Fortress of Mimoyecques in Marquise (France) was constructed in 1943 by Nazi Germany to shelter a battery of V-3 cannons that were aimed at London (England, UK). More than one thousand prisoners from eighteen countries who were forced laborers died in the Fortress of Mimoyecques when they were sacrificed for the destruction of it in 1944 by Allied Forces.

My ideas for Mimoyecques began during my initial visit to the fortress. The work would be programmatic in nature and two sets of recordings would be needed. The first set would be made in and around the fortress and would serve as the foundation for the themes of imprisonment and death. The second set would feature eighteen male voices speaking in the languages of the laborers originating from the following countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, ex-Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, and ex-Yugoslavia. I made these recordings in Brussels at embassies and private homes where speakers extemporaneously read texts of their choice regarding World War II or their culture.